Publisher's Weekly
Fans of earlier Fast novels, such as Citizen Tom Paine and the series beginning with The Immigrants, will recognize the author's interest in politics and in the conflicts between ideals and compromise in this work about a U.S. senator and his family. At the suggestion of the Secretary of State, Sen. Richard Cromwell arranges a small dinner party at his country home. Among those present are the Secretary of State, Cromwell's wife Dolly, their college-age children, Leonard and Elizabeth, and Dolly's parents, Augustus and Jenny Levi. Gus Levi is extraordinarily wealthy and influential, and Richard understands the dinner has been requested so that the Secretary can speak with his father-in-law informally. Fast's tale covers the day of the party, from Cromwell's earliest thoughts, which are of his mistress, to his late-night reordering of priorities. In the course of the day, he reconnects with his wife, learns a tragic fact about his son and alters the direction of his career by standing up for his own needs and beliefs. More of the author's familiar preoccupations are represented in other characters: the couple who manages the Cromwell household is black, as is Leonard's visiting friend and lover from law school; Leonard relies on a Zen-like meditation to help him face death. Though vintage Fast in its issues, unfortunately there's little pace to this novel that reads more like a treatise related by cardboard figures than a story about livingand dyingpeople. (January 28)
Library Journal
Senator and Dolly Cromwell are giving a dinner party. The guests are two high administration officials; Dolly's old-rich parents; Lenny and Elizabeth Cromwell, home from college; and a last minute addition, Lenny's friend Clarence, who ''happens'' to be black. To Dolly, planning a dinner party is like ''creating a work of art,'' and this is clearly what the novel is supposed to be: a theatrical piece in which the author explores the burning issues of the day. The main issues are the Central American crisis, which is the reason behind the dinner party, and death, which is the reason Lenny has come home. He must tell his parents that he has AIDS. Unfortunately, Fast dilutes the intensity of this material by sending Clarence home early and by writing dialogue that reads more like rhetoric than conversation. Intellectual drama in the form of a dinner party is an intriguing idea for a novel, but here the elements fail to mesh. Donna L. Nerboso, N.Y.U. Lib.
Fans of earlier Fast novels, such as Citizen Tom Paine and the series beginning with The Immigrants, will recognize the author's interest in politics and in the conflicts between ideals and compromise in this work about a U.S. senator and his family. At the suggestion of the Secretary of State, Sen. Richard Cromwell arranges a small dinner party at his country home. Among those present are the Secretary of State, Cromwell's wife Dolly, their college-age children, Leonard and Elizabeth, and Dolly's parents, Augustus and Jenny Levi. Gus Levi is extraordinarily wealthy and influential, and Richard understands the dinner has been requested so that the Secretary can speak with his father-in-law informally. Fast's tale covers the day of the party, from Cromwell's earliest thoughts, which are of his mistress, to his late-night reordering of priorities. In the course of the day, he reconnects with his wife, learns a tragic fact about his son and alters the direction of his career by standing up for his own needs and beliefs. More of the author's familiar preoccupations are represented in other characters: the couple who manages the Cromwell household is black, as is Leonard's visiting friend and lover from law school; Leonard relies on a Zen-like meditation to help him face death. Though vintage Fast in its issues, unfortunately there's little pace to this novel that reads more like a treatise related by cardboard figures than a story about livingand dyingpeople. (January 28)
Library Journal
Senator and Dolly Cromwell are giving a dinner party. The guests are two high administration officials; Dolly's old-rich parents; Lenny and Elizabeth Cromwell, home from college; and a last minute addition, Lenny's friend Clarence, who ''happens'' to be black. To Dolly, planning a dinner party is like ''creating a work of art,'' and this is clearly what the novel is supposed to be: a theatrical piece in which the author explores the burning issues of the day. The main issues are the Central American crisis, which is the reason behind the dinner party, and death, which is the reason Lenny has come home. He must tell his parents that he has AIDS. Unfortunately, Fast dilutes the intensity of this material by sending Clarence home early and by writing dialogue that reads more like rhetoric than conversation. Intellectual drama in the form of a dinner party is an intriguing idea for a novel, but here the elements fail to mesh. Donna L. Nerboso, N.Y.U. Lib.
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Used availability for Howard Fast's The Dinner Party
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
May 1988 : Hardback
| Title: The Dinner Party (Windsor Selections) Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-86220-236-1 / 978-0-86220-236-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Chivers Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
February 1988 : Hardback
| Title: Dinner Party (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-8161-4331-5 / 978-0-8161-4331-3 (USA edition) Publisher: G K Hall & Co Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
November 1987 : Hardback
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Availability: Amazon More details... |
May 1987 : Hardback
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-340-41027-2 / 978-0-340-41027-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 1987 : Hardback
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-395-43035-6 / 978-0-395-43035-4 (USA edition) Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (T) Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 1986 : Hardback
| Title: THE DINNER PARTY Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Availability: Amazon More details... |
1978 : Hardback
| Title: THE DINNER PARTY Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Availability: Amazon More details... |
1977 : Hardback
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback Editions
1989 : Paperback
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Dell Availability: Amazon More details... |
June 1988 : Paperback
| Title: The Dinner Party (Coronet Books) Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-340-42251-3 / 978-0-340-42251-9 (UK edition) Publisher: Coronet Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
November 1987 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Dinner Party, The Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-440-12047-0 / 978-0-440-12047-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Dell Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 1987 : Paperback
| Title: Dinner Party, The Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Dell Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
1987 : Paperback
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Dell Publishing Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
Audio Editions
August 2008 : Audio CD
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 1-4233-7211-5 / 978-1-4233-7211-0 (USA edition) Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 2008 : Audio CD
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 1-4233-7212-3 / 978-1-4233-7212-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Brilliance Audio Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
December 1987 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 0-930435-34-6 / 978-0-930435-34-9 (USA edition) Publisher: Bookcassette Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
December 1987 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast ISBN: 1-56100-029-9 / 9781561000296 (USA edition) Publisher: Unabridged Library Edition Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
Other Editions
December 2011 : Kindle edition
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Open Road Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 1991 : Unknown
| Title: The Dinner Party Author(s): HOWARD FaST Publisher: Dell Pub Co Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1987 : Unknown
| Title: Dinner Party Author(s): Howard Fast Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Availability: Amazon More details... |
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